Manufacturer catalog

Defense Technology

Defense Technology is a U.S. less-lethal munitions and tactical-products manufacturer associated with Safariland and Cadre Holdings. Its public product line centers on impact munitions, chemical munitions, distraction devices, launchers, aerosols, and training for law-enforcement, corrections, military, and security users.

2 weapons

Defense Technology presents itself as a full-line less-lethal manufacturer for law-enforcement professionals, grouping its main lines into aerosols, impact munitions, distraction devices, chemical munitions, and launchers. The company also maintains a training academy whose course catalog and company narrative tie the brand to instructor-level less-lethal, baton, patrol, tactical, corrections, and security training.

The brand has a long U.S. less-lethal lineage. Defense Technology's training site describes the company as descended from Federal Laboratories and Lake Erie Chemical Company, and says its academy has delivered nationally recognized training for more than forty years. Current public catalog entries connect the name to 12-gauge impact and breaching munitions rather than to conflict-use claims.

Less-lethal impact munitions12-gauge and 40 mm munitionsChemical munitions and aerosolsDistraction devicesLaunchers and accessoriesLess-lethal and tactical training

Notable Systems

12 Gauge Bean Bag Round, Less-lethal drag-stabilized 12-gauge bean-bag impact munition, Munitions

12 Gauge Bean Bag Round

Less-lethal drag-stabilized 12-gauge bean-bag impact munition

Defense Technology's Model 3027 drag-stabilized 12-gauge bean-bag round is a linked impact munition; the official product page and technical sheet identify the model, projectile design, range window, and law-enforcement applications.

Sources: Defense Technology homepage, Defense Technology 3027 product page
12 Gauge Breaching Round, Frangible breaching cartridge for 12-gauge shotguns, Munitions

12 Gauge Breaching Round

Frangible breaching cartridge for 12-gauge shotguns

Defense Technology's TKO 12-gauge breaching round is a compressed-zinc frangible breaching cartridge for locks and hinges; it is linked here through the existing public catalog record.

Sources: Defense Technology TKO product page

Manufacturer History

  1. Less-lethal lineage reaches postwar civil-disturbance era

    Defense Technology's training site says the company's lineage descends from Federal Laboratories and Lake Erie Chemical Company and connects that lineage to alternatives to lethal force used in major U.S. civil disturbances since World War II.

    Sources: Defense Technology Academy

  2. Training academy reaches multi-decade scale

    The Defense Technology Academy says it has delivered nationally recognized training for more than forty years, beginning as a factory-direct source of technical information and growing into instructor-level certification programs.

    Sources: Defense Technology Academy

  3. Safariland announces planned divestiture

    Safariland announced an agreement to divest Defense Technology and Monadnock, describing the combined Defense Technology business segments as crowd-control solutions that included chemical agents, munitions, and batons.

    Sources: Safariland divestiture announcement

  4. Cadre filings list Defense Technology patent ownership

    Cadre's 2026 annual report lists Defense Technology, LLC as the owner of 53 granted crowd-control patents and two pending patent applications, supporting the brand's continuing crowd-control product and intellectual-property role.

    Sources: Cadre 2026 annual report

Predecessors
Federal LaboratoriesLake Erie Chemical Company
Website links
Official websiteLaw-enforcement product overviewTraining academyCustomer service and sales addressCadre annual reports

Defense Technology is treated as the public manufacturer name used on official product pages and cataloged munition records. Ownership is stated from public filings and Safariland's own announcement because the 2020 divestiture announcement and later Cadre filings are not identical snapshots of corporate control.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Defense Technology homepagePublisher: Defense Technology | Note: Supports the official website, Defense Technology brand identity, law-enforcement/military/security training audience, featured product categories, and the 30-year de-escalation-tools statement. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Defense Technology law-enforcement overviewPublisher: Defense Technology | Note: Supports Defense Technology as a full-line less-lethal manufacturer with aerosols, impact munitions, distraction devices, chemical munitions, and launchers for law-enforcement users. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Defense Technology AcademyPublisher: Defense Technology | Note: Supports the Federal Laboratories and Lake Erie Chemical Company lineage, the post-World War II civil-disturbance context, and more than forty years of nationally recognized training. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Defense Technology customer servicePublisher: Defense Technology | Note: Supports the Casper, Wyoming domestic sales and customer-care contact context; it is not used as a headquarters claim. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Cadre 2024 subsidiaries exhibitPublisher: Cadre Holdings | Note: Supports Defense Technology, LLC as a Delaware subsidiary listed by Cadre Holdings as of December 31, 2024. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Cadre 2026 annual reportPublisher: Cadre Holdings | Note: Supports Defense Technology, LLC ownership of crowd-control patents and the continuing filing-based link between Defense Technology and Cadre's public company disclosures. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Safariland divestiture announcementPublisher: Safariland | Note: Supports the June 9, 2020 announcement that Safariland had entered an agreement to divest Defense Technology and Monadnock, with the business described as crowd-control solutions including chemical agents, munitions, and batons. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Defense Technology 3027 product pagePublisher: Defense Technology | Note: Supports the 12 Gauge Bean Bag Round as a Defense Technology product and supports its role as a catalog-linked notable system. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Defense Technology TKO product pagePublisher: Defense Technology | Note: Supports the TKO 12-gauge breaching round as a Defense Technology product and supports its role as a catalog-linked notable system. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

2/2
12 Gauge Breaching Round, Frangible breaching cartridge for 12-gauge shotguns, Munitions12 Gauge Breaching RoundFrangible breaching cartridge for 12-gauge shotgunsBuilt in: United StatesThe 12 Gauge Breaching Round is a 12-gauge frangible breaching cartridge used to defeat locks, hinges, deadbolts, and similar door hardware from standard military shotguns. Army ammunition records identify the M1030 breaching cartridge as a low-hazard, non-shrapnel-producing load with a 617-grain projectile, while Defense Technology describes the TKO round as a compressed-zinc shell that disintegrates on impact.
12 Gauge Bean Bag Round, Less-lethal drag-stabilized 12-gauge bean-bag impact munition, Munitions12 Gauge Bean Bag RoundLess-lethal drag-stabilized 12-gauge bean-bag impact munitionBuilt in: United StatesThe 12 Gauge Bean Bag Round is Defense Technology's Model 3027 drag-stabilized less-lethal impact munition for 12-gauge shotguns. Official product sheets identify a translucent 2.5-inch shell, 40-gram tear-shaped bag, four stabilizing tails, 270 fps muzzle velocity, 20-foot minimum safe range, and 75-foot maximum effective range, while public police records document training, inventory, and patrol or SWAT deployment controls.